The Performer’s Body: JAWS!!!

Jaw tension is the bane of my existence.

Watching “Quarterlife” last week drove me crazy, because ALL THE ACTORS on that show were Jaw-Acting. By this I mean they relied on their jaws to demonstrate emotions (think actively-contrived jaw-clenching to “show” anger). This drives me bonkers, because any kind of jaw-tension is a sign of blocked expression, and contrived communication. In the chakra system, the throat chakra (of which the jaw is a part) is a hugely significant vessel for expression, communication and creativity, as well as the chakra responsible for making choices in the world and forging an identity.

Singers and actors spend their entire careers releasing jaw tension. A singer tightens his/her jaw to manipulate the sound. An actor tightens his/her jaw to manipulate the emotion. The really frightening thing - letting go - means that every single defense system we’ve learned as adults will fall to pieces and, god forbid, we might actually reveal our true selves.

Facial muscles in general are hugely sensitive areas. We learn to mask, manipulating our muscles to project whatever well-rehearsed image of ourselves we want the world to see. It’s the artist’s duty to let go of those defenses and show their true human colours. It’s vulnerability and imperfection, not aesthetically controlled self-defense, that moves an audience and changes lives.

Kristin Linklater touches on a lot of these psycho-emotional issues related to the jaw in her chapter on jaw-exercises. Her book, “Freeing the Natural Voice,” is at once intellectually engaging in its commentary on voice-physiology and hugely practical as a 16-week program for voice training for stage acting.